Thinking Out Loud
by baskexcase
Summary: The castle is under attack by the Galra where is Lance and what does Keith know that the rest of the Paladins don't. First chapter building up to the intense feels.


"Keith!" Lance yelled reaching out to Keith, the Galra ships hallway was dark Keith's silhouette was merging with the dark hallway as he was walking away. His footsteps were loud then it slowly went silent and his figure faded into the darkness. "Come back!" Lances yelled then everything was gone.

Lance woke up staring at his bunker ceiling, his body was soaked with sweat, clenching his shirt "Keith?" sitting up from his bed putting on his jacket that was hang up right next to him. As he rushed down the castles hallway, turning the corning to the Kitchen worried to open his eyes; waiting to hear Keith's voice. Only to the looks of seeing Pidge and Hunk prepping for breakfast.

"Wheres Keith!" voice shallow and out of breath. "Lance, you look like you ate a really bad serving of Coran's food." Hunk said getting up and reaching for Lance. "What, no pfft I'm good, just uh wanted to borrow something of his." Lance started stepping backwards into the hallway. "You guys uh… sure you haven't seen him?" Backing out of the doorway slowly, "Maybe he's still asleep?" Pidge said while typing away on her computer.

"Right, gotcha!" Lance footsteps echoed down the hallway. "What's his deal?" Hunk said. "I don't think I want to know," Pidge stated.

Lance kept running down the hallway, still out of breath his shirt damp from the sweat of the nightmare mixed with his vicious running. There's no way Keith would still be sleeping he almost always was the first one awake and spent most of his time train- He stopped. Turning he headed down the other direction he bolted almost tripping over himself. The doors opened having the running head start slowing down was a bit of a challenge. Right as the door opened a sword came rushing towards his line of vision. "Shit!" Lance yelled. Ducking from the blow his foot slipped more than intended and his head banged against the hard floor, his teeth clenched together.

"End sequence!" Keith yelled.

The gladiator froze where he stood. "Lance what are you doing?" Keith asked towering over Lance who was sprawled on the floor. "Oh you know, just checking out the view." he gave a sly smirk. "you're delirious, what are you doing running in here like that?"

"Oh you know just keeping in shape," he said again with the same smirk covering his face. Keith reaching out his hand, Lance accepted "C'mon in those clothes, tell me the real reason." The air was suddenly tense.

"You can't play that card on me, why were you running." Keith waiting for the answer. "Forget it," he said. Finally having enough, walked past Lance towards the door both hands slowly letting go. "Wait," Lance clutched with a tight expression not wanting to let go of the red paladin's hand.

Keith asked, "Does this mean you're ready to tell me what's wrong?" Lance gave him a sorrowful look, then his eyes wandered to the floor. Lance couldn't see his expression but the touch from his hand was gone and the only sound was the door shutting behind him.

He was alone again, staring at his hands with his jaw aching with pain. "What is wrong with me, why do I do this to myself and the people I care about." He could see his reflection staring back at him from the beaten hardwood floor. As his head perked up he saw the reflection of the Gladiator still frozen in place. Standing on his feet he walked up and could see his own face staring back at him in its armor, he clenched his fists and took a running start "Start sequence."

Keith stormed in the Kitchen without saying a word, both Hunk and Pidge shot each other an alarmed look. Hunks voice cracked "He-y Keith."

Pidge rolled back in her chair looking at the red paladin,"Did you and Lance… talk at all this morning." she asked. "Nothing important," he said under his breath walking straight towards the fridge grabbed a bottle of water, then slammed the fridge door and turned the other direction and walking out.

"Am I missing something here?" Hunk said in a worried tone. They both exchanged glances Pidge looked at him, "It's probably something that we just need to let the both of them handle on their own." he gave a strained glance

"Yeah I guess you're right."

Lance took a swing at the large metal figure, "I could do this all day." saying while dodging the next hit. Standing ready in place for the next blow "Such a weak being, why waste the potential of Voltron on something like you" a low hoarse tone filled the air. Looking around he saw no one, though it was echoing in the room, a fatal blow struck him tossing him ten feet across the floor.

His ears started to ring. A sharp pain filled from his back to his chest making it hard to breath, he could barely speak his voice turned flat "end sequen-" coughing being unable to escape the words he was trying to say. Looked up at the tall figure standing over him wasn't the Gladiator but was much taller and darker statured.

Huddling on the floor trying to collect his breath, The figure took hold of the blue paladin by the neck and raising him where his feet could no longer touch the ground. His eyesight began to falter and everything started going black his breathing was getting shorter and body growing more numb, for a moment the paladin only saw a purple haze then darkness.

Shiro stormed into the room, "Team meeting, where's Keith and Lance!" his tone held a tight expression. "Keith just walked out about 10 minutes ago is something going on?" Hunk asked.

Shiro faced both Hunk and Pidge "Has Lance gotten out of bed this morning?" Hunk added, "Yeah he seemed worried about something came in here looking for Keith, he was acting weird." Shiro took a deep breath "We might have trouble, the princess spotted Zarkons ship close by and according to her some parts of the castle aren't responding we need to gear up and form Voltron, search the castle for Keith and Lance I'll do the same."

Times passed as Shiro looked throughout the castle looking for the red and blue paladin, as he was running past one of the rooms the door was half opened. "Lance are you in here?" As he turned the corner the red paladin was sitting on the frame of the window.

"Keith." Alerting him, "Zarkon's ships are approaching we gotta go, where's Lance?" Keith stood up walking towards the door. "Last I saw he was in the sparring room, Let's get him and hurry." Both paladins ran down the hall leading to the sparring room "it won't budge" Shiro stated. "Here." Keith pulled out his bayard turning it into the form of a sword wedging it between the crack of the door "Get back" Keith said in a grunting tone. Holding the door Shiro slides through with Keith following behind. The room was empty nothing but a large break on the floor, pieces of broken wood spread across the ground. Shiro and Keith examining the room, Shiro stood

"Lance buddy, you in here!" there was no response.

"Where did he go?"

Pidge and Hunk ran in "We can't find Lance anywhere, there's no trace of him anywhere else in the ship." Pidge said. Hunks eye narrows. "Wait," he said, Giving a concerned tone. "Keith, you were the last to see him do you know anything?" Keith gave a disgruntled look. "I don't keep track of that mess, it's not my concern what he does in his free time."

Hunks expression changed from concern to anger. "Let's keep one thing straight, you don't know the first thing about Lance he always put everyone ahead of himself and was in a panic this morning looking for you." Hunk approaching him with his body tense and standing straighter almost as if he was towering the other paladin,"What did you say to Lance." Keith's body shook gripping his bayard in his hand looking eye to eye.

"If you're implying that I did this you're wrong, nothing could make that large of a crater. I barely spoke to him." Keith defended. Hunk clenched his hands trying to keep his cool "It doesn't take much coming from you, he cares about you the most and you push him away!"

Shiro interjected, "Guys stop, this isn't helping we have to focus on finding Lance." Pidge stepping in,"That's right, I think I might be able to gain access to the castle mainframe to see what happened in here through the video feeds." Everyone stood in agreement.

Walking up the stairway leading to the deck overlooking the room was a control deck that stretched across overlooking the training area. "It might take me a few minutes," reaching for her laptop "I'm going to see if I can get this part of the room working." Pidge connected multiple wires to the system, a few noises and flashes here and there, "We're looking good, I think I can link with the surveillance camera to see where Lance went."

After a short minute, a video played on the monitor at first it was just Keith training then Lance's entrance as he rushed in crashing on the floor. "There's no sound." tapping vigorously on the keyboard. Keith was the most focused staring intensely at the monitor picking up as much detail as he could remembering the conversation they had earlier. Witnessing the way Lances faced looked as he watched Lance beside himself seeing the upset state he was in suddenly a black streak flashed across the screen.

"What was that?" Hunk said.

"Not sure, maybe an interference."

Hunk looked up through the window overlooking the training room , "uh guys," in a panicked tone "was the gladiator standing there before?" Everyone standing together looking through the window taking notice to the tall figure standing in the middle of the training room.

"Guys look," Pidge said looking back at the monitor.

Suddenly on the screen Lance sprawled on the floor, the figure turned from the gladiator to none other than Sendak.


End file.
